Lead Me
by Allen Blaster
Summary: Changeling knew that life wasn't easy. However, he didn't know just how hard it could get until he received a harsh reality check. That, in the end, turned out to be the two greatest gifts his wife had ever given him in his life. (Complete)
1. Chapter One

**This is going to sound weird, but save your reviews till the end. I decided to post this as a multi-chapter all at once today. Hope you enjoy whoever's reading this. :)**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own the Teen Titans. Nor do I own the lyrics used throughout._

* * *

_Lead Me_

* * *

**Music starts:**

"Richard! Mar'i is doing the flying again!"

"Wait, what Kori- oof!" Nightwing fell back onto the ground hard. His two year old black haired and blue eyed daughter sat giggling on his chest. "Oh..." He groaned to himself.

Starfire swooped over, picking her daughter up off her husband. "You silly little bumgorf. You could get hurt doing the flying before you're ready." She said to her as she floated away.

"Or she could do the hurting of me." Nightwing groaned to himself as he tried to get up off the ground.

"Wheee!" A small, dripping wet, buck naked one-year-old black boy with brown eyes and curly hair ran by Nightwing then. Waving a towel behind him as he ran squealing with laughter. His mom ran behind him with his clothes, trying to catch him. He kept shrinking as she grabbed for him, and growing back to his full size. His mom was really wishing he hadn't been born with her powers.

"Honey! A little help here!" Bumblebee yelled.

"Sorry Bee, I'm busy making us all breakfast!" Cyborg called from the kitchen, flipping a pancake as he did so along with some sausage.

"Are you putting food over our- ow! How dare you zap your mother!" She yelled as she grabbed at her son again, barely missing him in the process. He squealed happily and continued to run.

"You're doing great Bee! Just keep at it!" Cyborg called again, a big smile on his face.

* * *

_I look around... and see my wonderful life._

* * *

**Thmmmm.**

The sliding doors opened, and Changeling walked into the Common Room. He smiled at the chaos that greeted him from his other teammates.

"Wait, Mar'i. Please calm down for daddy-" Nightwing was saying calmly.

**Ksch!**

A small blue starbolt hit him in the chest, and he fell back onto the ground with a loud 'oof' again. A burn mark sizzled in the chest of his uniform. An again floating Mar'i giggled innocently to herself in the air.

Changeling chuckled to himself as he saw Starfire fly over and grab her daughter from the air again. "Mar'i! You're going to do the tiring of yourself again if you do the keeping of this up!" She lightly scolded. Floating away with her again to the other side of the room.

Nightwing stayed laid out on the ground, groaning in pain.

_'Dude, sometimes I feel a little sorry for him.'_ Changeling thought to himself, amused as he walked to the kitchen.

"Life was so much easier without a kid." Nightwing groaned to himself.

_'On the other hand, it seems like good revenge for years of grueling early morning training.'_ Changeling thought with a smirk.

* * *

_Almost perfect, from the outside._

* * *

Changeling got to the counter, grabbing a bowl and cereal for his breakfast.

"Got you!" Bumblebee said, finally grabbing her kid. He shrieked excitedly and tried to shrink again, but she shrank down with him. Not allowing him to escape.

As Changeling turned to watch, they grew again. She was holding him to her, with him now in his favorite Batman clothes. "There, that's better now." Bumblebee said in relief, sitting back on the couch with her boy squirming on her lap.

Changeling smiled widely at the sight, then looked back to Cyborg. _'I still can't believe those two ever got together and managed to have a kid.'_ He thought disbelievingly.

"Good job honey cakes! I knew you could do it!" Cyborg called to Bumblebee while he grilled the bacon.

"It wouldn't have been so hard to do if you had helped Rust Bucket!" Bumblebee yelled back irritably.

"Hey, who's the one making everyone's breakfast here! Including yours!" Cyborg teased back to her.

Changeling rolled his eyes, as he walked over to the fridge to get his soymilk. _'I seriously wonder how those two ever got together.'_ He thought with a smirk as he poured the milk.

"Wait, what the- No!" Bumblebee yelled as her son shrunk out of her grip, his clothes in her hands. He reappeared in front of her, squealing as he ran on his chubby legs to play his favorite game with mommy again.

"No! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" Bumblebee was yelling angrily as she took off after him again. The game resuming.

"Go get him Bee, I believe in you!" Cyborg called.

"You, you… gah!" She yelled in frustration. Her son evading her clutches once again.

Changeling chuckled to himself, now going to the exit. He made sure to step over Nightwing's limp form on the way out as he did so. _'Man, I love not having kids.'_ He thought.

"Hey B, you want to grab some actual meaty breakfast for your honey cakes before you go!" Cyborg called teasingly behind him.

"Not on your life Rust Bucket!" Changeling yelled back as he walked out the doors.

Cyborg laughed. "Fine, then keep on trying to make my sis a vegan! Let's see how far you get!" He yelled, still laughing as he cooked breakfast.

* * *

_In picture frames, I see my beautiful wife._

* * *

Changeling entered into his new room, setting his empty bowl on the nightstand next to the bed. The light coming in through the outside windows lit up the simple room. With just a bed, a couple of nightstands, and a few other pieces of furniture. It was admittedly the cleanest room he had ever lived in. Not that he didn't have help with keeping it clean that is, and a little bit of motivation on top of that.

He let out a yawn as he put his arms above his head, hands interlocked to stretch himself out. _'Looks like she's still getting ready for today.'_ He thought as he looked around at their room. It was weird for him to think of it as 'their' room, even after several months of being married to each other.

His eyes caught the photo frame on her mirror stand. He smiled to himself, and he walked over to it, picking it up.

_'Now this, this was something I didn't expect to happen.'_ He thought as he stared at it.

It was a photo of two people with the Tower in the background. One was dressed in a nice black tuxedo, and the other was dressed in a white version of her uniform. He was happily smiling in it, and she looked... content. She still didn't like to smile all that often. The little upward curve of her lips in the picture though was a smile to him.

_'Dude, one of the biggest questions I need an answer for is how she ever fell for me?'_ He thought as he admired the photo. Looking down at their interlocked hands in the picture. _'And how I fell for her...'_

...

The door to his room opened. Changeling set the picture back down on the mirror stand gently. Still looking down at it.

"What are you staring at Gar?" A calm voice asked from behind him.

Changeling turned around then, finally looking at his wife. His smile was just a little bigger as he looked into her deep amethyst eyes. "I don't know, you tell me." He said.

She rolled her eyes at him, but came forward and hugged him. A nice calm resting on her face. He hugged her back, holding her to him as they rocked in the middle of the room together.

_'You know, maybe some things just don't need to be questioned.'_ He thought happily.

"I love you." He whispered to her.

"I love you too." She whispered back.

* * *

_Always smiling, but on the inside._

* * *

**Yawn…**

It was dark outside now, and Changeling yawned to himself while getting into the bed. Raven was on her side of the bed, reading a book.

"Enjoying the book Rae?" He asked her curiously.

"Hmmm..." Raven hummed back.

"I said you enjoying the book?" He asked again.

"Trying to." She said, not moving her eyes off the book.

He chuckled to himself. Having a feeling as to what was bothering her. "Am I interrupting you with my silly questions?" He asked teasingly.

Then she surprised him. She shook her head. "No, it isn't you Gar." She said quietly.

Changeling sat up on his side, looking at her face closely. Now that he thought about it, she looked a little tenser than before. And if it wasn't because of him annoying or pestering her... "Is everything okay Rae?" He asked with concern.

She nodded. "Kind of." She replied, still trying to read.

Changeling put an arm over her shoulder, now looking a little worried. "Raven."

She finally looked at him, a little surprised at him using her name correctly. She closed her book, letting out a sigh. "I've been… feeling a little sick lately." She finally admitted, rubbing her gut as she did so.

Changeling held her to him, and she relaxed into his embrace. "Alright, we'll sleep on it tonight, and if you still feel sick tomorrow, we can ask Cyborg to do some scans." He told her.

She nodded. "I just don't want it to turn into a big deal with the others." She admitted softly. She hated it when the others worried over her when it could, in reality, be nothing.

He kissed her forehead. "We'll do whatever you feel most comfortable with Rae." He said.

She didn't move, and a couple of minutes later he realized that she was already asleep. He almost wanted to chuckle to himself as he moved them both so they were both lying on the bed again. His mind was too worried being somewhere else, while his hand turned off the lamp on Raven's nightstand.

_'What could possibly make a half-demon feel sick?'_ He wondered.

* * *

_Oh I can, hear her saying._

* * *

**Boom!**

Changeling jumped up from his seat, shock on his face. _'Holy heck, what happened in there!?'_ He thought to himself as he ran to the sliding door of the Infirmary.

He forced it open, and Cyborg was right there, ready to open the door himself. "Cy, what did you tell her!?" Changeling said a little angrily. Cyborg backed up in surprise but didn't get angry. In fact, to Changeling, it looked like he was as shocked as he was feeling then.

"B, I think this is something that she needs to tell you herself. Not me." Cyborg said calmly.

Changeling looked past him then, seeing his wife sitting up on the bed. Her face was blank, looking down at the floor as tears slowly fell down from her amethyst eyes. The windows to the side of her had blown out into the bay down below.

Changeling looked back to Cyborg and nodded. Cyborg moved out of the way. "Good luck." He whispered to his green friend, before leaving the Infirmary.

Changeling came over and sat down next to Raven, gripping onto one of her hands. He waited patiently for her to speak.

"Gar..." She finally said after a long moment.

"Yeah." He said back, a little hopeful.

She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it. Wondering to herself if she should say it, then she sighed. "I'm pregnant." She finally admitted.

It was almost like his world suddenly fell apart. _'Wait… she's… but… she said she thought she couldn't…'_ His mind seemed to be locked up. He couldn't even think of where to begin.

She gripped his hand tighter, bringing him back to the present. The tears were falling faster down her face, and he realized she was trying her best to choke back sobs. He quickly turned and hugged her to him, letting her cry softly into his shoulder.

"Cyborg did a scan... I'm carrying... twins..." Raven choked out.

Beast Boy wasn't sure what to think. Nor what to feel. It felt like his wife had just pulled the rug out from under his feet. Not that he didn't want to have kids, gosh no! He knew that eventually, he wanted to be a dad! But now... when they had only been married for a few months, after a year and a half of dating, and several years of slowly getting used to each other before all that...

"How can I ever be a mom?" She asked quietly.

He hugged her tighter, resting his chin on her shoulder. For the moment, he tried to throw his own fears away. "It'll be okay Rae. We have the others who can help if we need it… and you have me. I'll be here for you." He said, trying to sound confident.

_'I'm going to be a dad… Am I even ready to be a dad?!'_ The thought seemed to haunt his mind. But he didn't dare say it though.

Not when it meant facing the fact that his life was really about to change forever.


	2. Chapter Two

_Lead me, with strong hands!_

* * *

"Urgh."

Raven groaned to herself, before leaning against the wall of the hallway. Changeling, who had been next to her helping her along, also stopped while she took a short break.

"Why did the others get to keep their powers while they were pregnant? I didn't see Starfire or Bumblebee having to walk around everywhere when they were twice as big." Raven grumbled to herself.

Changeling opened his mouth to reply. "I mean seriously it makes no sense. The only difference between me and the others is that I'm carrying twins. That should entitle me to be able to float around. Not having to have help to walk around everywhere on these stupid weak feet." Raven continued to complain, cutting him off from speaking.

He just stood in the same spot next to her as she continued to gripe. The tired look on his face showed that he had gotten used to random outbursts like this from his wife. "My back is hurting me, my feet are hurting me, I need to use the bathroom again, I can't get around without someone helping me, and I'm only 5 months pregnant. What worse thing could possibly happen to me."

Changeling sighed, looking down at the ground. _'Just don't complain… just don't complain… it'll only make her complain more. You should know that since you did that yesterday.'_ He thought.

Raven sighed at last, stopping her griping. "Freaking hormones. I'm sorry Gar. You've been so kind in trying to help me. And I'm just complaining about it." She said tiredly.

Changeling shook his head, pulling her back from the wall. "It's nothing Rae. Seriously." He said, leading her down the hallway again.

_'As long as I don't complain about it. We'll both be fine.'_ He thought. There was a strange emptiness of detachment to it.

* * *

_Stand up, when I can't!_

* * *

"Gar, could you help me up?"

Changeling looked up from what he was doing to a now 5 and a half month pregnant Raven who was next to him on the couch. "What for?" He asked curiously.

"I just want to make myself some herbal tea." She said.

"Do you want me to make it for you?" He asked her.

She gave him a flat look. "After what happened the last time?" She asked.

He got up off the couch, grabbing her hand. "Hey, I didn't mean to leave the kettle alone for two hours." He said in his defense.

She rolled her eyes as she gripped his hand. "Sure. You can apologize to the kettle later when I'm done with it." She said monotonously.

Changeling pulled, just a tad frustrated with his wife. And Raven pushed up, a little more forcefully than she had meant. "Whoa." Changeling said in surprise, having pulled a little too hard.

"Oof!" The two fell back onto the ground, with Changeling cushioning Raven's fall. The two stared into each other's eyes in surprise.

"Uhhhh..." Changeling said to himself.

_'Dang it!'_ He thought. He wasn't sure how the situation could get more embarrassing.

**Click! Flash!**

A bright white light flashed to their side, and the two quickly looked to see Cyborg grinning. A camera in his hands. And a small little Victor having a piggyback ride on top of his shoulders. "Just capturing the moment for posterity." He said before he ran off.

The two looked back to each other, neither sure what to say. "Um… oops?" Changeling said.

Raven sighed to herself. "You're such a dork sometimes." She muttered.

Changeling lost his smile at that.

* * *

_Don't leave me, hungry for love!_

* * *

"NOOOOO!"

Changeling woke up in a rush at the scream. He sat up, looking around himself frantically.

_'What's going on?! Did something happen!? Are we being attacked!?'_ He was thinking frantically as he looked around the dark room.

Before any other thoughts entered his mind, one of Raven's hands was suddenly gripping his arm. He looked down at her in surprise and realized she was crying.

"Raven?" He said questioning.

What she said next surprised him. "Please don't leave me Gar-" She was saying, then she couldn't speak. She looked down, tears hitting the comforter.

He brought her close in the bed, cuddling up against her. He felt their twins moving around in her belly. Upset like their mom. "What's wrong momma?" He asked her quietly.

It took her a moment to respond. "I just… had a nightmare about… you leaving me and the kids… and… and..." She sobbed into his chest at the end, holding onto him tightly.

He stayed silent, just listening. "I couldn't… raise them… they hated me… everyone hated me..." She said. Her voice breaking at points.

He still said nothing, just holding her close. Gently rubbing circles on her back.

Raven's sobs quieted, and within moments, he felt her breathing softly against his neck. He looked and saw that she was asleep again. The twins also stopped moving, going back to their quiet slumber inside mommy. He still didn't let go of her though, and he put his head back in her hair.

"It'll be okay Rae. I'm not leaving." He whispered to her. Trying to sound confident…

_'… I hope.'_ He thought as he went back to sleep. Still feeling super scared for what was ahead, but knowing deep down he loved her too much to want to subject her to such a living nightmare.

* * *

_Chasing, dreams. But what about us!_

* * *

"Garfield!"

Changeling looked up at the field of grass before him. He grinned as he saw a person waving at him in the distance. It looked like a girl to him, but he couldn't tell because of all the light around him.

"Come on! The others are waiting!" The person shouted.

"I'm coming dude! Hold on!" He yelled, running across the wide expanse of grass towards the person.

As he ran, he kept on seeing his hands. Not green with claws, but white, with normal fingernails at the ends. He looked down at his bare feet, seeing white normal sandaled feet hitting the sod beneath him. He couldn't even feel any fangs in his mouth here.

It was like paradise.

He laughed to himself, feeling so happy in the place. "I've wanted to be normal for so long!" He yelled too himself.

He couldn't imagine anything being better than this.

"Garfield!" The person yelled again.

Changeling looked back at the person again, he was so close to being close enough to recognize who it was. All he could make out was her black hair at the moment. "I said I'm-" He was yelling.

"Hawwwwgghhhh!"

Changeling opened his eyes, surprised at the sound he had just heard. He quickly sat up and saw he wasn't in the field anymore. He was back in his room, on the bed. He quickly put his hands in front of his face and saw the same old green and claws as before.

_'What the heck…'_ He thought, confused.

"Hawwwwgghhhh!"

He looked to his side and saw Raven laying on her side facing the other way. If he had been thinking about the situation as he would have a few months ago, he would have found it amusing that Raven was snoring. When he looked down at his hands though, his mind finally clicked.

_'I was dreaming…'_ He realized. Guilt swept into him as he remembered how happy he had been in the dream. It seemed to even outshine the happiness he had felt on his wedding day with Raven.

_'Did I really prefer being normal to wanting to be with Raven?'_ He thought sadly.

He laid back down on the bed, facing the window instead of Raven. _'Can I really love her if this isn't where I'm my happiest?'_ He thought as he drifted off into what felt like the loneliest sleep he had since before he and his wife first dated.

* * *

_Show me, you're willing to fight!_

* * *

In his part of the T-Ship, Changeling was flying through the daylight sky over a bright blue ocean. He was shaking his head to himself as the blue ocean swirled far below him.

_'Just forget about it, I have a mission to focus on right now.'_ He thought, trying to clear his head of the latest thoughts of his latest fight between him and his heavily pregnant wife.

He looked down at the schematics below him, seeing how far he had left until he reached his assignment from Nightwing. He was to track down and apprehend Doctor Light, who had been causing problems in New Zealand. The system showed he had four more hours until he got there. Then he had at the least a week to track down the villain and to bring him in. If things worked out that is.

Changeling sighed to himself as he stared at the sky in front of him again.

_'Just don't think about it. It was just her hormones talking there. It'll resolve itself soon…'_ He thought. Wanting to just forget about it…

_Flashback:_

Changeling slammed the sliding door open. "Nightwing, I need a mission." Changeling said in a flat voice.

Nightwing raised an eyebrow from across his desk. Not expecting to have heard those words come from him. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Changeling gripped his head. "Raven's been driving me nuts dude! She isn't appreciative of anything I do to help her out! She's always complaining and whining! And the worst part is she keeps on questioning if I still even love her at this point!" Changeling said, more and more anger coming into his voice as he spoke.

Nightwing's eyebrow traveled a little higher above his mask. "And you really think that going away now, when she's this close to having two kids, will help the both of you?" Nightwing asked.

Changeling gave his leader a glare. "Do you have a mission somewhere in the world that I can do, or not?" He asked bitterly.

Nightwing stared him down for a moment, then sighed to himself. He rested his elbow on the desk and rested his head to his hand as he gave Changeling a file. "Doctor Light has been seen lately in New Zealand. I haven't had anyone available who could check it out." He said defeatedly.

Changeling nodded and turned around to leave. "Just please Chan- Garfield, don't stay away for too long. You know she doesn't mean any of what she said." Nightwing added.

Changeling didn't show any sign that he heard, and he walked out of his leader's office.

_End Flashback:_

Changeling shook his head. _'She'll be fine without me there. She has the others there to help her.'_ He thought, trying to convince himself. It was what he needed anyway. He needed to get away, to clear his head; what any scared soon to be father in his position would want to do... at least what he thought any scared soon to be father would prefer to do...

He looked down again, not at the screen beneath him though, but at the picture tucked into the right of it. It was a simple picture of him and Raven, sleeping next to each other on the couch. Cyborg had taken it while they had been dating, and given it to him as a wedding present… it was another one of those rare times where she had been caught smiling...

He sighed to himself and looked up at the sky ahead of him again. _'Oh Rae… please stay okay for me…'_ He thought sadly.

* * *

That I'm still, the love of your life!

* * *

"Ungh!"

Raven grunted again, as she felt another contraction go through her abdomen. She gripped the sides of the gurney, fighting off the urge to scream.

Cyborg was at her side, looking at what the screen next to the bed was showing. It was nothing but the best tech to help his little sis out with her delivery. "You're doing great sis. Says here you're making good progress." He said calmly, trying to help to calm her.

"Tell me again why I can't have any more pain medicine?!" Raven asked bitingly, her tone on the edge of turning demonic.

"I'm sorry Rae, I can't give a bigger dose than what I gave you without harming the kids," Cyborg said, trying to stay calm.

Raven felt the contraction reach a peak as it ripped through her. Her back arched. "Garfield!" Raven cried out in pain.

Cyborg looked across the room to Nightwing, no longer looking calm. In fact, he looked rather angry. "Night, where the heck is that green idiot!" Cyborg yelled at his leader.

Nightwing was pushing every button imaginable on their up to date Communicators. "I don't freaking know, he hasn't checked in once the last three weeks while he went out to get Doctor Light!" Nightwing said back. While he tried to get Changeling to answer. He was almost ready to chuck the stupid thing out the freshly repaired window.

"Yo, if that green bean doesn't get his grass butt here within the next few minutes, then I'm gonna-" Cyborg was saying angrily.

"Friends, friend Changeling is back!" Starfire called from the doorway.

The two went silent, though Raven groaned in pain on the bed. Starfire floated in, helping a limping Changeling through the door behind her. The two heroes gasped at how beat up he looked. Despite that, he was grinning widely... though it was obvious to tell he was suffering from a lot of pain from the several different injuries they could see.

"Hey dudes? Did I miss the party?" He asked tiredly.

Raven looked up from her bed at the sound of his voice. "Gar?" She called hopefully.

Changeling limped to her bedside with Starfire's help. Nightwing moved out of the way, allowing Changeling to stand next to Raven and grip one of her hands. He looked down into her eyes.

"Sorry Raven, I would have called, but..." He paused, as his hand took out the destroyed communicator from his suit pocket. "… Doctor Light blasted this… and my T-Pod… and I kind of hadn't memorized the Tower's number… so I had to fly here from New Zealand with my injuries..." He said, chuckling nervously at the end of his haphazard story. "Oh and Cyborg, I need a fresh copy of that picture, the last one kind of burned up with my part of the T-Pod." Changeling added at the end.

Raven was tired and in a lot of pain, but she still managed to sit up…

**Slap!**

And slapped Changeling across the face. His face stung from the hit. The side of his face taking on a shade of red in the shape of a hand. "You green nimrod." She muttered indignantly.

Changeling laughed to himself, still gripping her other hand as she sat back on the bed again. "I guess I deserved that." He said.

Raven rolled her eyes, even as another contraction started. "Just hold my hand you stupid green elf and comfort me as I give birth to our two kids like a good husband who comes in late." She said sarcastically and in pain, as she gripped his hand tightly.

Changeling continued to grin, even as he felt the bones in his hand getting crushed. In some way, it helped to make up for his three-week absence. "I'll give you the report later Night. I have something more important right now." Changeling said to his leader.

Nightwing grabbed Starfire by the hand, taking a couple of steps back to be an observer. "I'll expect a full account of your idiocy and hardheadedness after you and Raven adjust back to life. And I'll expect it on my desk tomorrow morning." Nightwing said, sarcasm dripping off his voice at the end.

Cyborg looked at the screen, grinning to himself. "It's a good thing you arrived just now string bean. Otherwise, you'd have more than a report to Nightwing here to worry about." Cyborg said.

Changeling continued to grin, even though he wanted to scream from the pain. "Are you kidding, I wouldn't miss this for the world," Changeling said through his teeth, as Raven's grip tightened.

And this time, he was being honest.

_'YEOWWWW!' _Even though the pain he felt in his hand was worse than the blast that Doctor Light had given him to his gut.

* * *

_I know we, call this our home!_

* * *

"Weh, wah."

Changeling and Raven stood in the hallway of the Tower in front of their room. In each of their arms, the two held a little bundle of joy to their chests. In Raven's arms was a cute little girl wrapped in a purple blanket. And in Changeling's arms was a cute little boy wrapped in a green blanket. Both of them were crying softly to themselves in their sleep.

The two were staring at the door of their room. Despite all that had happened before. Both seemed to realize just how much their lives were going to change. A moment that had been dawning on them from the time that Raven, Changeling, and their two babies had finally been discharged from the Infirmary just a few minutes ago.

_'Am I ready for this… am I really ready to be a dad? Do I want to devote the rest of my life to… him?'_ Changeling thought. Looking down at his son.

He looked over at Raven, and could almost tell that she had similar thoughts going through her mind. He looked down, still feeling a little guilty though it had been a week since he had gotten back. His gaze seemed to be fixed on his son. His pale green skin, his small little hands… so perfect…

"Gar… do you love me?' Raven suddenly asked.

He looked up at her, surprised at the question. He nodded his head. "Of course Rae." He replied. If there had been anything he learned while out on his mission, it was that he loved her. He'd give the world to her if he could, even if she didn't want to be treated that way. He wanted her to know how special she was to him. Even more so now that he was holding his son... their son...

She rested her head on his shoulder. "Can you forgive me for driving you away before?" She asked quietly.

Changeling stood still for a moment, then rested his head on hers. "As long as you'll forgive me for being a dillmuffin about going away." He said.

Raven chuckled to herself, and Changeling smiled. "Dillmuffin?" She asked curiously.

"I heard that somewhere in New Zealand. Don't know exactly what it means. I thought it might apply to me though since I heard some woman use it in an angry tone to her husband." He said amusedly.

She chuckled again. "Come on dillmuffin, I'm feeling super sore just standing here," Raven said as she floated a couple of inches above the ground. Changeling smirked beside her.

"So what was it like not having your powers for six to seven months because of me?" Changeling asked.

"Ask again, and you'll be sleeping on the couch for six to seven years," Raven said monotonously back.

Changeling chuckled to himself as he walked behind Raven into their room. Into their lives as parents.

"Whatever you say, Rae. Whatever you say."

* * *

_But I… Still feel!… Alone!…_

* * *

"Mmmm..."

Raven was in a rocking chair, feeding Mark as she rocked back and forth. She was humming softly to herself. Taking on the role of a mom better than what she had thought she was capable of.

Changeling stood next to the window of the room, rocking on his feet. One arm was holding Lydia to his shoulder, the other was gently patting her back. Drawing cute little burps from her as she cried. He was humming softly to her to try and calm her cries while patting her back.

"Weh, wahhh..." Lydia cried softly.

Changeling continued to hum a soft melody, one he had learned from his parents long ago. His mom swore on her life it had always worked on him. He was seriously hoping to himself that it would work for her.

Within another moment, true to his mother's word, his daughter quieted. He stopped patting her back and continued to hum for her. Then next thing he knew, she was asleep on his shoulder.

He looked down at her and smiled. "There, that's better now." He whispered.

He looked back out the window at the night sky. Seeing the stars shining down on the bay. The sight seemed to mesmerize him.

_'It's so… wow…'_ He thought.

He then turned around and looked at Raven. His smile turned to a flat line, and he looked at his daughter again, then at her. _'And she's… far more than I deserve.'_ He thought. He felt like the worst person in existence at that moment. To think that he had been so scared of being a dad, of being a father to two kids... that he had even thought of leaving her...

His free hand clenched into a fist at his side. He looked down at his peaceful pale daughter with her blonde hair. "I'm not going to leave you guys again. Ever. No matter what happens, I'll always love you." Changeling promised quietly to himself.

He walked over to Raven. Ready for whatever came his way.

**Bleh!**

... Except for his baby daughter Lydia vomiting on his shoulder while she was asleep. Raven almost chuckled as she looked up and saw the look of horror on Changeling's face.

"Get used to that now dear. We're going to be dealing with that over the next few months at least." Raven said, slight amusement in her tone.

_'Dang it!'_ And there went the serious moment he was having.


	3. Chapter Three

_I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes._

* * *

"Gah!"

Changeling glared down at his daughter, who was smiling widely at him on the changing table... actually, she was floating several inches above it.

"Come on Lydia, daddy's only trying to change your diaper." He said, as he gently pushed Lydia's floating body back down on the table again. He bent down to grab the new diaper from off the floor again and got back up; ready to change his daughter.

Lydia was again floating a few inches above the table. A sour look came onto his face. "Lydia!" Changeling said frustratingly, pushing his daughter back down again. She giggled at her dad again. She found the game she was playing with him to be fun.

Changeling kept one hand on her as he looked around for something, anything to hold his daughter down… then he grinned. "That'll do the trick!" He said proudly, as he took the sash to his bathrobe from the table next to him. He quickly wrapped it around Lydia and under the table, tying her to it quicker than her little amethyst eyes could follow.

He tied it off with a nice bow and looked back up with a smile. Lydia was flat against the changing table. Unable to float up with the constraint across her gut.

"Yes, I did it!" He yelled to himself, raising his hands in the air.

"Wahhh!" Lydia cried at the fun game now being ruined.

**Boom!**

The baby powder next to Changeling exploded, covering him from head to toe in the white powder. He put his arms back down, looking stunned at what had happened. Lydia giggled again on the table. She had forgotten about the game and was admiring the new look her dad was sporting for her enjoyment.

"Um, Gar?" A voice said behind him.

He looked behind him and saw Raven holding a squirming Mark in her arms. It looked like she was trying really hard not to laugh. And it was looking like an uphill battle to her. Her defenses were being slaughtered in her mind like the British troops at the battle of Bunker Hill.

_'Dang it!'_ He thought.

Changeling sighed to himself. "Tell Cy and Bee we need more baby powder," Changeling said defeatedly.

She chuckled this time. "How about you do that, and I'll change Lydia's diaper for you." She said, trying to keep her voice flat.

"If I show up like this to Cyborg, he'll have blackmail on me for weeks! Months!" Changeling said angrily.

"And if you don't, Lydia and Mark will both get bad rashes from their diapers, and then you can say goodbye to what little bit of sleep we both manage to get at night." Raven calmly rebuked.

Changeling grumbled to himself, and then he walked out of the room. Leaving an amused Raven, a squirming Mark, and a happy giggling Lydia on the table.

_'Stupid freaking mess of baby powder.'_ He thought on his way out.

* * *

_They're just children, from the outside._

* * *

Nightwing was smiling as he watched his wife quietly close the door of their daughter's room behind her.

"Did Mar'i finally go to sleep?" He asked.

"Yes, it took much of the reading with the bedtime stories from the terrible warlord Khand'r, but our little bumgorf is the asleep at last."

Nightwing smiled a little wider and hugged his tired wife to him. "You're the best." He told her, kissing her forehead. She nodded, not wanting to speak.

"You know, I was thinking about what you said before..." He said as he put her at arms distance.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"I was thinking… if you still wanted it that is..." He said, suddenly nervous.

She was looking at him eagerly. "Yes." She said.

"… we could… have another… bumgorf?" He asked.

Starfire's eyes brightened with joy, and she clapped her hands together. "Oh Richard, it would be glorious!" She said happily.

Nightwing smiled again, a drop of sweat falling from his forehead. "Good." He said. He paused for a second and then opened his mouth to speak again.

"Mark, it's time for bed!"

The two turned to look to the side, confused. "What was-" Starfire was saying.

Suddenly, a cute little green kitten ran meowing across a side hallway. Changeling came running after it, a pair of small pajamas in his hands. "Mark, I mean it! It's time for bed!" He yelled loudly again, as he disappeared down the side hallway.

The two looked to each other, confused. Before a word could be said, the door behind them slid opened. A tired Mar'i was standing there, rubbing her eyes. "Wha's going… (yawnnn) yon?" She asked tiredly.

Starfire instantly got down and picked her up. "It's nothing my little bumgorf. Let's go back to sleep now." She said, walking into the room with her again.

"I want anofer satory." Mar'i tiredly demanded.

Starfire sighed to herself as the door slid closed behind her. Nightwing still stood in the hall, looking at the door. "What the heck..." He muttered to himself.

"Wait, no! No biting Mark! Ahhhhh!" A scream came from the side again.

Nightwing looked, and from the same side hallway, Changeling ran back down the way he came. Fear on his face as he screamed in terror. "Raeeee!"

Right behind him chased a small snapping green gator. Intent on biting the person who had tried to put it to bed with its sister. The two disappeared just as quickly as they had appeared.

Nightwing shrugged to himself and leaned back against the wall. Waiting for his wife to come out again so they could talk about when to have another kid.

"Freaking Garfield, just when I felt like having another kid." He muttered to himself.

* * *

_I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine._

* * *

**Yawn.**

Changeling pulled himself tiredly into the bed. He winced as pain seared up from the scar he still felt on the back on his left leg.

_'Dang, Mark sure has been learning how to claw and bite lately.'_ He thought.

Raven still hadn't had enough energy as of late to try and use her powers to heal others. So he had to rely on Cyborg and his tech to help fix up his calf muscle from his son's latest stunt. He knew it involved a dosage of nanobots designed to repair tissue or something that Cyborg had said in his techy rambling thingofajig. He briefly wondered when they'd kick in.

_'It's so weird… they're barely two years old… how can they be able to use their powers so well though?'_ Changeling thought. Thinking of how Mark had turned into a small bear while he'd been playing with him that day. And Lydia had almost floated all the way up to the ceiling…

"Mmmmfff..."

Raven moved in her sleep and ended up cuddling against Changeling. Changeling automatically put his arms around her, letting her rest against his chest. He didn't even feel that the pain was starting to decrease in his leg.

_'It's just… weird… a little cool yeah… but it could be dangerous for them too if they don't really learn how to use their powers…'_ Changeling thought. The memory of Mark still trying to fight came into his mind.

"Hawwwgggghhhhh!"

Changeling looked down at Raven's pale face, having to fight off the smile on his face. _'And she still doesn't believe me when I say that she snores in her sleep.'_ He thought tiredly. Pushing the other thoughts from before to the back of his mind. His leg felt just fine now, which was weird. _'Whatever happened to my leg earlier?'_ Changeling thought groggily to himself.

He cuddled his head next to Raven's.

_'What was I worried about again… eh, maybe it'll come to me in the morning.'_ He thought before he fell into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

_They're independent... but on the inside._

* * *

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Changeling heard Raven sigh to herself as she closed the book she had been reading. "It seems like they need to argue every day." She muttered to herself.

He shrugged as she got up. "I'd say that they take after their parents, but we didn't know each other when we were that young." He responded.

"I'm sure we would have fought just as much then as we did as teens Gar." Raven slightly teased before she floated towards the kids who were in the center of the Common Room.

Changeling chuckled to himself as he went back to looking at the TV. _'Yeah, knowing the two of us, we would probably be going at it as three-year olds-'_ He was thinking.

"Ah!" **Boom!** "Lydia!"

He suddenly heard his daughter scream in pain and fear, an explosion, and Raven yell almost all at once. He instantly turned his head around, "What hap-" He stopped speaking at the astonishing sight.

Lydia was holding her arm, crying to herself. Raven was next to her, her blue healing energy coating it. He still saw the bleeding bitemark though that Raven was healing. Along with the table to the side that looked to have been blown into pieces.

Changeling instantly jumped up from the couch, getting over as quickly as he could. "What happened?!"

Raven looked to Mark, who was standing a few feet from Lydia now. His little hands were over his mouth. Fear at being in trouble and guilt for hurting his sister were clear in his eyes. He started to bawl. "It was an acipent momma! I'm sowwy!" He yelled, guilt filling his high pitched voice.

Changeling looked back to Raven, and it looked almost to him that Raven wanted to get angry… She didn't though. Instead, he saw a tear fall from her eyes. She beckoned Mark over and hugged her two kids to her.

Changeling got on his knees with them and joined in the hug. He felt both Lydia and Mark's sadness as they cried, and he felt in some way Raven's sadness as she shook. Trying to keep in control.

"Wha's wrong with us daddy?" Lydia shakily ask.

He looked down at her in surprise, seeing his daughter's startling amethyst eyes staring up at him. "But there's nothing wrong with either of you." He said, trying to convince her.

She still continued to cry though and held on more tightly to Raven. He noticed Mark was holding on to him. While he and Raven were holding on to each other. Mark didn't say anything more, he was too afraid to open his mouth again.

Changeling looked up, seeing Raven looking at him. It was like the same thought was going through their minds.

_'We need to talk.'_

* * *

_Oh, I can hear them saying._

* * *

"Are they asleep?" Changeling asked in the hallway.

Raven nodded her head. "For now… they're both still shaken up from earlier." She spoke calmly.

The two hugged. Standing together in the middle of the dark hallway. "Rae… do you really think..." He was trying to say.

"That they need training for their powers and instincts? Yes." She finished for him.

Changeling sighed to himself. Already having known that was going to be the answer. "How soon?" He asked as they separated.

She looked deep into his eyes. "As soon as possible."

Changeling gulped to himself. _'They're only three though… could we even train them to handle their powers… I still want to be their father though… not their… leader…'_ He thought, scared of messing up in helping his kids. He didn't want to be like Mento.

"Gar."

Changeling looked back up, not realizing his mind had wandered. Raven was still looking at him, though her face had softened just a little bit. "I just want our kids to not have to live in fear of their powers. Like we did growing up." Raven said, a note of sadness in her voice.

Memories raced through his mind. Of before he joined the Doom Patrol. Things he had shared with Raven before they were married. He imagined Mark having to go through something similar…

He hugged her close again, breathing in the scent of her hair. The familiar smell helped to calm him a little bit. "Okay." He said determinedly.

"We'll do it."


	4. Chapter Four

_Lead me! With strong hands!_

* * *

"You following with me Mark."

Changeling watched as his six-year-old son looked down at his small hand, then smiled as he shrank into the form of a dog. "Like this dad!?" His son asked excitedly, even though he was in dog form.

_'Dude, I still wonder how he can speak while in animal form when I can't do that unless I'm a parrot.'_ Changeling thought as his smile grew bigger.

"Great job! You're starting to get the hang of morphing. Now I want you to change from animal to animal for me." Changeling ordered.

The dog in front of him barked happily, before changing from a dog to a cat. Then to a lizard. Then to a bird. Then to a fish. Then lastly to a wolf. Changeling watched in amazement. The pale green wolf got on its hind legs.

"Was that good dad?" He asked.

Changeling smirked. "That was great son, I want just one last thing for today."

The wolf sat back on its haunches, lopping its head to the side in curiosity. "What?" He asked.

Changeling's grin turned mischevious. "Race you to mom!" Changeling said, before he shrank down into a larger green wolf, and ran out of the training room.

The wolf was stunned for a moment, then it started to run too. "Wait, that's not fair! You didn't say go!" The wolf yelled as it ran after its dad.

_'That's another rule of the wild son, expect the unexpected!'_ Changeling thought back.

* * *

_Stand up! When I can't!_

* * *

"Focus Lydia."

The 7-year old girl snapped her attention away from the butterfly back to her mom, who was floating cross-legged in the air across from her. Her eyes still closed.

"I'm trying mom," Lydia said as she closed her eyes again.

"Don't try, just do." Raven calmly said.

Lydia tried to focus back on her center again. Wanting to not disappoint her mother. It was so boring though, sitting cross-legged in the air for so long when her brother was learning how to morph into all sorts of cool looking animals. Animals she wished she could turn into.

She knew Mark was crossing over to bigger forms today. Doing beginner obstacle courses, and getting to train with the other kids. While she sat alone, in the air, with her mom… cross-legged… feeling like the world's biggest idiot…

Lydia dropped onto the ground. She was tired of just floating in the air. Raven floated gently back onto the ground, standing on her feet again.

"That was good for today Lydia. You managed to stay in the air for more than thirty minutes this time." Raven said calmly.

Lydia balled her little fists. "Mom, what's the point in me doing this?" She asked, a little angry at how calm her mom was for wasting her time again.

"Lydia, meditation is important in being able to control your powers. I know it's frustrating, but it'll help you out in the long run far more than training with any course or punching bag." Raven said calmly.

The door to the roof opened.

Lydia stomped her foot angrily. A pebble next to her feet was encased in black before it flew out to the ocean. "I already have good enough control over my powers though! Why do I need anymore when there's a bunch of other cool stuff I can already do with my powers if I just trained!?" Lydia asked angrily.

Raven looked calmly down at her daughter, preparing to speak. A green hand gripped her shoulder though, and she turned to see Changeling standing behind her. "Is it okay if I could talk to her for a bit?" He asked.

Raven wanted to say she could handle it, but then she sighed. To be honest, she was kind of at a loss for how to explain this to her daughter in a way that'd she'd understand. "Yes." She said, relieved.

Changeling nodded, then walked up to his daughter. "Dad, you know I can mostly control my powers now, right?" Lydia asked, looking up to him with wide eyes.

He brought his hand down, and Lydia gripped onto it. He started to walk away with her.

"How about I start by telling you a story." He told his daughter. As he walked them to the edge of the roof to look out over the bay towards the ocean.

"What's the story?" Lydia curiously asked.

Changeling took a deep breathe, as he looked towards the sun. "It's about an old friend who struggled with her powers long ago… her name, was Terra..." He started to explain.

* * *

_Don't leave me, hungry for love!_

* * *

"Dude..."

Changeling was limping in a hallway of the Tower. Raven was at his side, also limping from her own injuries.

"Is it just me, or was Cinderblock harder to fight today or something?" Changeling asked as they limped towards the Common Room doors.

"It wasn't just you," Raven said back blandly.

He chuckled to himself. "Good. Otherwise, I would have said I was feeling old today or something." He said in an amused tone.

"It's because you are getting old Gar," Raven said with an eye roll as they finally were in front of the doors. The doors slid open as they got close.

"Mom, dad!"

As they limped into the Common Room together, Mark and Lydia came from out of nowhere. Tackling their parents around the legs with a big hug. The two though surprised, got on their knees and hugged their kids back.

"What's the matter?" Changeling asked confused.

"We were worried about you. Uncle Vic let us watch what happened on the cams." Mark replied.

Changeling smiled, and he and Raven got on their knees, having a family hug between them all. He winced from the pain it caused but hid it well. "Well as you saw, me and your mom managed just fine." He said to them.

After a little bit, they separated. Their two kids were now smiling again. Lydia's was held back just a little bit though. _'She's starting to take after her mom.'_ Changeling thought. The story from before had done the trick and ever since she had been motivated to seek to gain mastery over herself so she could wield her power.

"So do you think we'll be ready to fight with you and mom against bad guys soon?!" Mark suddenly asked excitedly.

Raven and Changeling looked to each other, sweat drops appeared on their foreheads. "Um..." Changeling said.

"When you're older." Raven said bluntly.

"Ah, mom." Mark said in a whiny voice.

Changeling nodded his head, a smile appearing on his face again. "Son, don't try to argue with her. Trust me, it doesn't work." He said in an amused tone, putting the original question behind as they ushered them back to the other kids in the room so they could rest on the couch together.

* * *

Chasing dreams, but what about us!

* * *

"Wait for me!"

Changeling was running on the field of grass. Laughing as he ran after the person in front of him. He felt happier than he had been in a long time.

"Hurry up Gar, the others are still waiting!" The girl yelled back to him excitedly. Her long black hair waving in the breeze.

"I'm coming! Geeze, it'd help if you slowed down a little!" He yelled.

He ran up a hill after her and tripped on his way up. He got on his hands quickly to get back up. He saw that his hands were normal again. He became confused.

_'Wait, why is this so familiar?…'_ He thought.

"Hey Gar, did you turn into a slug?!" The girl yelled down at him.

He looked up at her, still almost recognizing her, but not quite. She looked familiar for some reason now that he was closer. He still couldn't tell what she really looked like though…

He smiled again, a feeling of normalcy filling him. He wished that he could always feel like this. "Don't worry, I'm coming-"

"Hawwwwggggghhhhh!"

Changeling suddenly sat up straight, looking around himself in fright. When he realized he was in bed again, he quickly put his hands in front of his face. He saw the same old green as before.

_'What… what the heck is wrong with me! I swore to myself I wouldn't want that again! Why the heck am I being such an idiot with enjoying that stupid freaking-'_ He thought, mentally berating himself.

"Hawwwwggggghhhhhhh!" He quickly looked to his side, his thought process interrupted. Raven was laying on her side facing him. Drool was running down her mouth onto the pillow from her snoring. He would have thought it was funny if it didn't bring back memories of almost eleven to twelve years ago.

Guilt flushed through him again at the sight of seeing her sleeping so calmly. He looked down at his hands. The desire for them, for her, for their kids, for everything to be normal went through his mind again.

_'Am I really… wanting to be normal… more than…'_ He couldn't finish his thought.

He didn't want to.

He huddled to himself on his side of the bed. Feeling like he didn't even deserve to be near his wife. He went to sleep, finding himself still desiring after all these years to be normal.

* * *

_Show me, you're willing to fight!_

* * *

"Ow! Mark, stop it!"

Changeling and Raven stopped their talking in the hallway at the yell. They both looked down the hallway, and their kids came from out of nowhere. Having a fight bigger than any they had seen from between them before.

Lydia was using her powers to protect herself, while Mark was a full-on bobcat. He was trying to claw and bite at her, while she jabbed back with walls and swords of black ethereal energy. He had scratches in his hide, and she had marks on her arms. Mark was growling like a wild animal.

The two parents seemed to snap to full alertness within seconds. What they had been talking about was put on the back burner for the moment.

"Enough," Raven said. Before the two could react, she quickly bound the two in dark energy, stopping the fight dead in its tracks. Mark turned back into his normal 13-year old form from the sudden binding. Changeling rushed in between him and Lydia, pushing the two bound kids apart with his hands. The two struggled in their bonds, unable to move.

Changeling was mad, and Raven was having to hold back her rage. Drops of red were appearing in her eyes though as she glared down at her kids.

"What is the meaning of this?" She asked calmly, almost bitingly as she approached.

Lydia stopped struggling. "We were training together, and Mark suddenly did this to me." She tried to say calmly to not lose control as she pointed at her pale arms. Which bore several inch long lightly bleeding claw marks.

Raven let her go then, and she fell to the floor. She turned to question Mark.

"Why would you attack your sister like that?! You know that isn't what your powers are for!" Changeling yelled angrily at Mark, catching him, Lydia and Raven off-guard. Up to this point, Changeling had had quite the level head with his kids and their antics.

His son stopped struggling. He looked scared. "I didn't do anything! She was the one that started-" He was yelling back.

"I DON'T CARE WHO STARTED IT BETWEEN YOU TWO!" Changeling yelled over Mark, silencing him, Lydia, and Raven. "I don't care who did what! You do not use your powers to hurt others! That is what villains do! And I haven't been raising you two to be villains!" Changeling yelled, chastising both his kids. Raven released Mark, not having the concentration to keep him bound at the moment.

"But, but-" Mark was trying to say as he backed up. Looking guilty as he tried to think of what to say.

"I don't want any buts from you!" He yelled at him, then turned to Lydia. "Or from you!" Both backed away, even Raven took a couple of steps back. No one spoke as Changeling glared down at his two kids.

"Both of you are grounded until further notice! Now go to your rooms!" Changeling yelled with finality.

Mark didn't say anything, he just looked up and glared at his dad. His hands balled up into fists. Changeling almost saw something a little primal in his glare but didn't drop his own glare. Then Mark turned around, morphed into a cheetah, and raced away down the hallway to his room.

Lydia was silent, staring at her dad in shock. He turned to glare at her, waiting. She then lowered her head, feeling very guilty about the fight, and she stepped into a black portal. Disappearing out of the hallway.

He was left alone with Raven, still angry at what had just happened.

"Gar?" Raven said behind him, surprised.

Changeling shook his head. "I don't want to talk anymore today Rae." He said walking away.

"But what about what we were talking about-" Raven was saying.

"I don't care anymore. It wasn't important anyway. Just leave me alone." Changeling said flatly before he stormed down the hallway. Raven stood still, looking at the back of his head in disbelief.

He barely heard her comment as he turned down a side hallway. But didn't acknowledge it. "The state of our relationship isn't important to you?" She asked.

* * *

That I'm still, the love of your life!

* * *

...

Changeling walked down a hallway of the Tower. His feet felt like lead underneath him as he walked towards his kids' rooms. It had hurt bad enough with Raven being more distant towards him lately. It was like they didn't even acknowledge each other at night when they went to bed now.

_'Man… I did a real jerk move… she only wanted to know why I hadn't been talking to her or anyone else much lately. And after… I just turned her down and walked away.'_ He thought sadly. He'd had more than enough time to ponder on it, and the more time that passed the more guilty he felt.

If that hadn't been bad enough though, now it seemed like he wasn't even connecting with Mark and Lydia anymore. Ever since he had lost his temper with them, Lydia seemed afraid to talk around him anymore. And he couldn't even remember if he had seen Mark for more than a few seconds since he had been ungrounded several weeks ago.

_'My family is disintegrating… and I'm allowing it to happen under my watch.'_ He thought miserably. Feeling guiltier as he continued to think on it.

He stopped in front of Lydia's door, Mark's door right behind him. He steeled himself. _'Maybe though, I can still try to fix things.'_ He thought. He raised his hand to knock.

_'I'll start with Lydia, then I can apologize to Mark, then maybe, if things go well, I could take Raven out to that nice place in town that she likes-'_ He was planning in his mind.

**BOOM! CLANG!**

Changeling's reflexes reacted faster than he ever could have alone as he dove to the side. The door that had been behind him had launched from its socket into Lydia's door, denting it. He looked at it in shock, then at Mark's now open room.

"What the hell!" He yelled as he quickly got up, racing into the room. "What's going on?!-" He was yelling…

…

Only to stop.

Raven was sitting on Mark's bed, tears flowing down her face. The room was a mess, that was getting worse and worse as her powers took themselves out on the contents in the room. She had what looked like a piece of paper tight against her chest. And she was breathing heavily, almost forcing the sobs down from her effort.

Before he could race forward, Lydia ran past him, hugging her mom. "Mom, what happened?! Are you okay?!" Lydia asked, trying to stay calm in the chaos.

Raven looked up then, tears still flowing from her amethyst eyes down her face. She saw Changeling still standing in the doorway, and her face scrunched up in pain.

Changeling came forward, unsure of what to do. "Rae?" He said, unsurely.

Lydia saw the paper and grabbed it from her mom. Raven didn't resist. Lydia quickly looked it over, and her pale skin took on a deeper paleness. "Mark left us." She whispered in shock.

Changeling looked shocked at his daughter's words. _'He wouldn't…'_ He thought. Then he looked around at the chaos. He realized that in all the clutter he saw from Raven's powers going off, the walls were clear of his posters. The bedspread was gone. And only a few clothes was in the midst of the chaos. It was as if the room had been cleared out long beforehand. Just to make sure, he quickly took the note from his daughter and read it over.

It was like she'd said. Mark's meaning in the note was clear.

"I'm going after him," Changeling said determinedly before he raced out of the room.

* * *

_I know we, call this our home!_

* * *

**Bonk!** "Urrrr!"

Changeling growled to himself as he felt the bump on his sore head. _'Why did his scent have to lead down here into the dark sewers of all places.'_ He thought as he looked around again, sniffing for the weak scent trail he had been following just minutes before.

He couldn't pick it up. He moved forward a few more yards, trying to find it. The strong smell of sewage drowned out everything else. It was gone.

Changeling pulled out his Communicator, frustration nabbing at him like a thorn in a shoe. "Changeling to Cyborg! You got anything on your systems yet Chrome Dome?!" He questioned angrily.

There was silence on the other end for a second. "I've been trying man! Mark still hasn't appeared anywhere in the city! I still haven't even figured out when and how he left the Tower!"

Changeling growled again. "Just keep trying! He has to have gone out of the sewers somewhere!" He yelled, before hanging up.

He connected to the next Titan. "Night! You and Star find out anything yet?!" He yelled, still angry, but a little desperate now.

"I inspected what remained of his room Garfield. And I have Starfire, Mar'i, and Bumblebee and her son Victor scouting out the city and country. We can't find any hint though as to where Mark went last time they told me." Nightwing said apologetically over the comm.

"Well keep looking! He has to have left some clue behind for you to track!" Changeling yelled, before hanging up.

_'Freaking best detective in the world my turd.'_ He thought angrily while pulling up the last contact.

His finger hesitated over the last contact, but he still connected it. His face lost the anger he had been feeling. "Raven, Lydia, did you have any luck finding Mark's ethereal signature?" He asked, his anger gone, replaced with fear and guilt.

"No." A plain voice spoke behind him.

He quickly turned and saw Raven and Lydia standing behind him. Raven was no longer crying, her face wasn't the picture of calm though. Not when it just looked so hopeless after hours of relentless searching.

"His trail ended just a few feet from where his scent ended. It was a dead end." Lydia said for them both.

Changeling stood still for another moment, almost at a loss. He then saw tears gathering in Lydia's eyes. "Dad… was it my fault he ran away?" She asked, her monotone voice laced with guilt.

He walked forward and hugged Raven and Lydia close to him. "No… it's my fault… if I hadn't yelled at you both… he wouldn't have left in the first place." He said slowly. His voice laced with guilt and sadness.

After a moment, he felt Raven hug him back. Though she didn't say anything. He feared it was because she didn't want their daughter to know about how they hadn't been getting along lately.

Lydia joined in the hug, and he felt her holding back the tears she wanted to release. He wanted more than anything for it to be like it normally was. For everything to be okay like it had been before… But it was more than obvious to the three that one was missing.

"It's all my fault this happened." Changeling whispered again. A tear rolling down his face onto the sewer floor beneath them.

* * *

But I… Still feel!… Alone!…

* * *

Changeling turned around in their room at the sound of the door opening. Raven was standing silently in the doorway, a blank look on her face. She walked in, letting the door slide shut behind her.

"Rae-" He tried to say as she approached, but then he felt his throat choke on his words. He closed his mouth, not trusting himself to say another word.

_'She's probably just going to end it… after all that I've done to our family in the past few months…'_ He thought forlornly as she stopped a couple of feet in front of him. Her face still blank of emotion. Just like it had been since Mark had run away.

She raised her left hand in front of her, showing the clear gold ring he had given her on their wedding day in the palm of her hand. "Garfield, do you remember when you gave me this?" She asked.

He nodded his head blankly, staring at the ring. She was silent for a moment… "You said that no matter what happened, things would work out for us. And when they didn't work out, we'd stick together." She finally said.

He still didn't say anything, but he nodded his head. _'I wanted everything to work out. I wanted us to stick together as a family… I wanted it so badly…'_ He thought, feeling ashamed of himself.

She continued to look calmly at him. "Do you remember how back then, when we were still so different, that I was unsure that we could ever make it work out between us? That I thought that I couldn't handle having a relationship with another person, especially you?" She asked, still keeping her voice calm. Though the last part seemed almost biting to him.

He bowed his head, as memories came to his mind. Their time as teenagers. Their first date mess-up. Their many, many arguments. Their dates, their fights, their make-ups, their almost break-ups. What seemed like an endless amount of advice from their friends ranging from ending it to not giving up on each other.

Finally came his confession to her. Then the resolution for them to both work at it together. Leading to their commitment to each other, then the engagement, their marriage... And everything since then…

He nodded, still looking down at the floor. "Yes." He said blankly, closing his eyes. Remembering it all then like it was yesterday…

…

After a short pause, he felt her hand gently raise his chin, so he was looking up at her. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that she was close to him now so that only inches separated them. Even though he could see the pain in her eyes, he also saw the love that seemed to shine in them for him. Though the rest of her face was blank of emotion. His breath was almost taken away by it.

"Gar… you know I still love you. I wouldn't be standing here now, still wanting to make things work out… if I didn't." She whispered. Her voice almost breaking from the emotion that wanted to be expressed, but that she couldn't out of fear of leveling their home.

Changeling felt a tear roll down his face, and he gripped her other hand in his. The ring was back on her finger, where it had rested for the last 15 years, and by the sound of it, for many more to go. He wanted to cry from the amount of emotions going through him.

"How can you still love me, when I feel like I have been so horrible to you lately?" He asked quietly.

She didn't reply, and instead gently pressed her lips to his. Letting the action speak more than what words themselves ever could. He gently kissed her back, taking a little comfort at that moment.

They separated after a moment, and she rested her head on his shoulder. "I don't want to give up on you Garfield… just don't give up on me… and Lydia and Mark..." Raven said quietly.

Changeling ran a hand through her violet hair, his other hand continued to grip his wife's hand. He let the first of many tears fall into her hair as he hugged the love of his life. Not wanting to let her go.

"I'll never give up." He said, more resolutely than he had in a long time.


	5. Chapter Five

_So Father give me the strength!_

* * *

**Boom!**

"Vic!" Cyborg yelled as he raced forward across the battle-strewn street, firing blue blasts of sound waves from his sonic cannon at the bots around his son. Blasting them into many different pieces. He got over his son, still firing sonic blue beams of sound while he helped him up with his other hand.

"I'm fine dad, it was just a scratch," Victor said as he rubbed the dust off his black and yellow striped uniform.

"Just be careful man, this ain't just your normal villain we're dealing with here," Cyborg said before he ran forward again towards where Starfire and Bumblebee were fighting. Plowing through the bots with the half orange, half white masks.

The two colors, though familiar, were switched. The white on the left side, and the orange over the right. Not Sladebots, but…

Mar'i appeared next to Vic, a bot crushed up in her hands. "Too bad Grand'r still isn't old enough to enjoy this yet. He would've loved it." She said in perfect English (thankfully taking from her dad) before she threw the scrap ball at another bot over by her dad.

"Yeah, Bruce would be out here too if he had gotten my mom's powers like me." He said as he sent an arc of electricity at another bot. Shorting it out.

A third bot jumped out in front of them, a steel blade in its hands. Before it could attack though, it was sliced in half by a slice of black energy at its midsection. The two pieces fell to the ground, and a 15-year old Lydia appeared from behind it, wielding a black ethereal sword. It disappeared as she walked forward.

"Anyone seen where Rose went? I thought she said she had something special planned here for us." Lydia said in a voice that sounded a lot more like her mother's. Dry and devoid of emotion.

The others looked around, seeing the termed Rosebots had given them space while the robots focused on their parents. Changeling and Raven excluded, as they were defending the Tower from a possible ambush by Rose Wilson during the fight. "I don't know, maybe she cowarded out like every other time we've come to face her-" Victor was saying.

**Whish!**

A giant green flash appeared in the middle of the three.

**Pow!**

Victor was suddenly punched in the gut, launching him back into a building. He fell from the crater he'd made onto the ground unconscious from the double blow. It happened within the space of a half-second.

"What-" Mar'i was saying in surprise as she raised her arms.

**Whack!**

She was backhanded by the green whatever in front of her before she could finish. Sending her flying the opposite way into another building, crashing through the wall. Another half-second had elapsed.

Lydia didn't say anything, she instead instinctively raised a black barrier in front of her. Trying to block what she knew was coming.

**BOOM!**

The force that hit against her shield was like the tip of a megaton nuke. Literally blowing right through her defense like glass and connecting with her jaw. Lydia was launched back far down the road into a car, knocking her out.

Nightwing looked just in time to see his daughter crash into the building behind him. He quickly jabbed the Rosebot he had been fighting away, before running for his daughter.

"Mar'i!" He yelled.

Much to his relief, she quickly came stumbling out of the hole she had made in the wall. Still disoriented from the blow she had just taken. She managed to point at the street though with one hand.

"Dad, isn't that Mark?" She asked.

Nightwing was confused but then turned to see where his daughter had been pointing. He gasped.

"No..." Nightwing said to himself.

Standing in the middle of the street was 15-year old Mark. In a half white, half orange suit. His eyes looked almost predatory, as he looked around himself, seeing who to fight next.

Nightwing got in a defensive stance next to his daughter. Ready to defend her. But then Mark stiffened, his face twisting a little bit in pain. He quickly ran off down the street, the few Rosebots that were left joining him as they disappeared as quick as they had come.

None of the Titans followed. Cyborg and Bumblebee were by their son. While Starfire was by Lydia. All of them had seen the same thing Nightwing saw though. And all of them were too shocked to know how to react to what they'd just seen.

* * *

_To be everything I'm called to be!_

* * *

"What do you mean he's now our enemy!?"

The Titans and their five kids were all gathered around the long table. Nightwing having just been in the middle of going over the fight. Raven was standing, her seat flung back behind her.

"I'm sorry Raven. I know it's hard to hear-" Nightwing was saying.

"Of course it's hard to hear! You're telling us that my son is evil and working with Rose Wilson now! How in the nine hells could that not be hard to hear!?" Raven yelled back again, her normal calm monotone now almost replaced with anger. Her normally amethyst eyes were being replaced with two sets of red.

"I didn't say he was evil Raven," Nightwing said calmly, putting his hands up in defense. "I'm just stating what I saw." He finished.

"And about what happened to us," Victor added.

Raven was silent for a moment, almost as if she was thinking. "But to still say he's willingly working for such a vile person-" She started to say. When a pale hand grabbed her arm.

"Mom." Lydia interrupted next to her.

Raven looked down at her, her red eyes flashing. Lydia still had a bruise on the side of her face where she had been hit. "Calm down. Before you blow the Tower to kingdom come." Lydia said.

Raven looked at her daughter for a few seconds, before she took in a deep breath and exhaled. She looked back to Nightwing, her two eyes amethyst again, but her calm glare was still on her face. "I'm not going to take out my own son if that's what you're saying we should do." She said monotonously, yet bitingly.

"I'm not saying we should," Nightwing replied. "Still, we have to prepare for if worse comes to worst. If he could hurt the kids so easily, imagine what he could do to someone else?" He finished.

Raven balled her hands at her sides but stayed calm as she used her powers to bring her chair back and sit back down. Changeling took one of her hands in his, rubbing it reassuringly as Nightwing continued to tell them what their plan was to capture Mark and Rose.

"We need to make sure..." Nightwing was saying. Though Changeling wasn't paying attention.

_'Why… why did it have to come to this?'_ He thought sadly.

* * *

_Oh, Father show me the way!_

* * *

Changeling entered the old room alone. He looked around at the clean walls and floor, the only mess being the amount of dust everywhere. On the empty dresser, on the boxes in the corner, and especially on the old bunk bed he used to sleep in.

_'To think that no one's been in here for who knows how long.'_ The thought came as he walked to his bunk bed. The only symbol of his past left standing in the room.

He reached under it, pulling out a small wooden box he had left when he and Raven had gotten married. He blew off the dust from it, seeing the top of the box for the first time in years.

**Garfield Mark Logan**

With shaking hands, he gently unlatched both front latches and then opened the box. The light fell upon the pictures inside for the first time in over 17 years.

The top picture was him and the team. Taken together in Tokyo after they had taken down Brushogen. His hand picked up the pictures in the box.

_'It's in here somewhere.'_ He thought as he started moving from picture to picture. Seeing the past come to life in his eyes with each one. There was a picture of the whole team after the Brotherhood Of Evil. Then after Trigon… Bro. Blood… Slade…

_'Dude, I looked so young back then…'_ He thought as he continued past the first picture the team took together on the island. Moving out from the Teen Titans to the Doom Patrol. Which was only a few pictures of him and Rita? With one of Cliff photobombing in the background… Then…

His hands ended on the last picture. A tear came to his eye as he saw what he had looked for. He saw himself staring at his young normal 4-year old self. Smiling happily at the camera, with his two tired, yet happy parents on either side of him.

_'Mom… Dad…'_ He thought. His hand shaking as he fought back tears. Seeing himself only made him think of Mark, what he had seen while observing the fight at the Tower…

He finally let the tears fall down his face. "What would you have done in my situation dad?" He whispered to his empty room.

"What would you have done if I had turned evil?"

* * *

_To lead, them!_

* * *

"Whoa! Incoming!"

**Boom!**

The explosion rocked the ground. Barely missing Nightwing and Changeling while they took on Rose in the middle of the park. Nightwing was barely fazed by the close explosion, while Changeling dodged most of the blast by jumping out of the way. Since he had been a bear, the worst it had done was leave hot pieces of metal in the fur on one of his hind legs.

"I have foreseen your defeat. It is inevitable to keep resisting." Rose taunted calmly.

Nightwing said nothing and continued to fight with his two eskrima sticks against Rose's two katanas. Not daring to even try and give up at this point.

Changeling fell back for a second to take a breather and look around. He morphed back into himself.

Hordes of Rosebots seemed to be pouring out into the park on all sides. Keeping the other heroes busy as they sported either katanas or Slade's old laser pistols. Causing devastation and chaos all over.

Lydia was with her mom, defending the few civilians left fleeing to safety. Raven was tearing the weapons in their hands apart with her ethereal powers, while Lydia used her ethereal sword to make scrap of the rest of them.

Bumblebee was in the air, drawing fire from some of the Rosebots while her son down below flew in between them in his shrunk form. Shorting them out with well-placed blasts of electricity to their necks.

Cyborg was with Mar'i. The two of them together using sonic cannons, blue starbolts, and their fists and feet to take out the Rosebots all around them. They were destroying the most Rosebots as far as Changeling saw.

_'Where the heck is Mark though… I thought he was going to be with Rose here.'_ Changeling thought as he saw Nightwing get a cut on his arm from Rose. He grimaced in pain, but then whacked Rose's arm back hard, likely leaving a painful bruise that Rose gripped. She growled and the two continued to fight.

Changeling ran forward to rejoin the fight.

**Wham!**

Changeling was suddenly hit hard by a large paw, sending him flying back. He rolled across the grass, stopping just in front of a park bench. _'Holy-'_ He thought as he quickly got back up, facing his attacker.

**Whack!**

Just as quickly as he had gotten back up, he was sent back onto the ground again. He groaned as he looked up at his attacker. His worst fear came true.

"Mark." He whispered.

**Bam!**

He was kicked into the park bench. Breaking the wood into many pieces. He groaned in pain again, trying to find the concentration to morph into something bigger.

"Gar!" He heard Raven yell. He lost his concentration and looked in pain at her direction, seeing Raven now trying to fight her way through the Rosebots. Before he could say something, Mark gripped him by the collar, lifting him off the pieces.

**Bam! Pow! Bam!**

Mark proceeded to use his large bear hands in beating up his dad. Hitting his chest, gut, head, and other places of his body over and over again. Changeling felt like he was being hit by a jackhammer as he tried to raise his arms to defend himself from the heavy blows.

_'What can I do!? I can't fight back! He's my son!'_ He thought desperately.

**Snap!**

"Yeowwwww!" Changeling howled in pain as he felt his right arm break in several places from a, rather particularly heavy blow.

**Slam!**

His son finally slammed his beat body back onto the ground. Breathing heavily as he looked down at him with wild primal eyes. He could have sworn he heard Rose laughing in the background. Mark raised his head and howled in victory.

"Titans! Changeling is down!" He heard Nightwing yell amidst all the chaos.

* * *

_Won't you lead, me?…_

* * *

Mark looked down, his face almost grinning predator like a wolf. He raised both his large hands together above his head. Changeling found himself looking at the arms, realizing that they were covered in fur.

_'He found out how to morph parts of his body…'_ He found himself thinking. Despite the situation, he was in.

It was almost like the world around him was slowing. Like all the pain and guilt of the past few years was slowly melting away. He felt a profound peace start to fill him. Even though the world around him was so chaotic, with fighting going on all around, even though he could sense he was about to die… he felt peace.

His body relaxed on the ground, and Mark hesitated, almost as if he was confused. Normally the prey was supposed to fight back. That's what he had been taught over the past two years by his master. So why wasn't this green piece of meat beneath him fighting back? It went against every law of the animal kingdom that had been engrained in him…

Changeling looked up into the deep primal eyes of his son. An old promise was brought back to his mind.

"Mark, I'm not going to leave you again. Ever. No matter what happens, I'll always love you.." Changeling whispered. Calmly looking up at his son.

Mark blinked, the voice beneath him sounded so familiar, but he couldn't tell why at first… Then it was like a haze that had been over his mind started to disperse. The primal glare in his eyes dissipated like rain dews on wet grass in the sun. Until his normal green eyes were looking down at his father. His beat up, hurting, yet smiling father.

"Dad?" Mark said confusedly, his arms and hands turned back to normal.

"… son," Changeling said quietly, even as his eyes started to close. The last thing he saw was his wife appearing overhead before his vision turned to black.


	6. Chapter Six

_To lead them, with strong hands._

* * *

"Go long, Mark!"

The tall 17-year old lean teen ran down the field. A big smile on his face as he outraced his friend Bruce behind him. He might have had his dad's athletic genes, but he was still no match for the speed of the animal kingdom.

"I've got it! I've got it!" Mark yelled excitedly as he saw the football descending towards him. It was just entering his hands… when he felt a cold chill envelop him.

"Mppth!"

He suddenly found himself face down on the ground, the football in his hands. He quickly looked up around himself in surprise, only to see he was a good bit behind Victor and the others. He was confused at what had happened.

**Tweet!**

A whistle blew to the side. "Safety," Lydia said, her black and white checkered cloak billowing in the breeze.

Mark realized quickly what had happened then. "Lydia! You cheated!" He yelled in irritation.

"I didn't cheat, you just weren't paying attention," Lydia replied dryly.

An argument proceeded to break out on the field between the brother and sister.

On the side at a picnic table, Changeling chuckled to himself at the sight. "Seem a little familiar to you Rae?" He asked his wife next to him.

Raven looked up from her book, looking calmly out over the field. "If he didn't have pale green skin, and if her hair wasn't blonde, I would have sworn that was the two of us," Raven said monotonously.

Changeling put an arm over her back, drawing her close. "Oh come on mama, we weren't that bad when we were teenagers now, were we?" Changeling joked to her.

"Hmmm..." It was almost like the sarcasm was dripping from her voice as she focused back on her book again.

He smiled a little wider next to her. Even as he saw the other Titan's kids getting involved in the argument.

_'Now this… this is good.'_ He thought…

That was until he looked towards the grill.

"Come on Cy! Finish up your dead animals so I can make my food already!" He yelled irritably.

His wife, after all these years, still hadn't switched over to being vegan.

* * *

_To stand up, when they can't._

* * *

"You're not going to win."

Lydia backed away from Rose, a black ethereal sword in her hands. Rose advanced with her two katanas. Lydia's teammates all around were focused on the Rosebots the villain had brought with her to the underground cavern.

"I have foreseen all your moves and techniques. And the odds of them beating what my dad taught me are zill to none." Rose taunted, as she dashed forward again.

Lydia blocked one strike and formed a shield quickly to block the second one to her gut. Rose and Lydia were face to face.

"You look so much like your mom you know," Rose said, smiling evilly as she bore down on Lydia. Her swords starting to push through Lydia's ethereal energy.

"I wonder if-" She was saying.

**Wham! Boom!**

She was suddenly hit in the side, sending her flying through the air into the side of a pillar. She quickly got back up but saw her two katanas were missing from her hands. She looked around, only to see Mark next to Lydia, her two katanas in his hands.

"Funny, I thought I had seen quite the opposite," Mark said. As he broke the katanas in two with his hands. Lydia this time rushed forward with her sword and shield, and Mark followed behind as a big green panther.

…

The fight zoomed out, showing the fight on a screen in a room. Changeling and the other Titans were in there, sitting intently as they watched their teens.

"You know, Bruce looks a lot more like you now than before Chrome Dome," Bumblebee said next to Cyborg. Pointing out one of their sons in the fight.

"Yeah, I still can't believe he designed a suit after me," Cyborg said in awe as he watched what almost looked like himself helping out Victor in clearing away the Rosebots on their side of the cavern. Bruce had taken Cyborg's blueprints and had fashioned a suit that he could operate all by himself. Impressing both of his parents.

"Oh husband Richard, just look at our son and daughter doing the bonding over the crushing of our enemies!" Starfire said joyfully as she pointed out their ferocious son and daughter making toys of their Rosebots. They were literally keeping track of who could make the biggest pile of scrap between the two of them.

Nightwing sweatdropped next to Starfire at her enthusiasm. "Sure thing Kori." He said, almost nervously. Only slightly worried about his kids being out in the real world.

Changeling smiled a little bigger, watching as his son and daughter took on Rose together. He squeezed Raven's hand in his as the two took her down together.

"I think they're going to be fine without our help now." He whispered to her.

She rewarded him with a rare small smile. "I agree." She whispered back. The victorious team cheered together on both sides of the camera.

"You thinking what I'm thinking Night!" Cyborg said boisterously.

"What are you thinking!?" Nightwing asked, also happy.

"Pizza party for the creation of the next generation of Titans!" Cyborg yelled happily.

* * *

Don't leave them, hungry for love.

* * *

"Alright dad, you can let me go now."

Changeling put his daughter at arm's length. Tears were in his eyes as he looked at her. Dressed in an actual nice green dress, instead of her uniform.

"I know Lydia… it's just…" He sniffed. "I'm so happy you found someone." He said, his voice almost choking up.

Lydia rolled her eyes, a characteristic she had gotten from her mom. "It's just a friend date dad, it's literally a dude I met while saving the city. It's not like anything will happen because of that." She said.

He wiped a tear from his eyes. "I know… it's just your first one… and… and..." He was saying. Then he hugged her again, not wanting to let go. "My baby daughter is just growing up so fast." He said while crying.

Lydia looked at her mom, who was watching with what looked like amusement in her eyes. Lydia felt extremely embarrassed. "Mom..." She said, almost pleadingly.

Raven chuckled lightly as she grabbed Changeling, pulling him back a little bit. "He's just showing how much he loves you, Lydia," Raven said calmly.

Lydia rolled her eyes again. "Whatever, I'll be back around 11:00. Sound okay?" She asked.

Changeling just continued to smile. "As long as you enjoy your time with your, 'friend'." He said, putting extra emphasis on the last word. Lydia walked away out of the Common Room doors, a sigh rolling off her lips.

Changeling and Raven stood in their spot a moment longer, looking at the doors. "Should we tell her that our first date was a friend date after she gets back?" Changeling asked Raven curiously.

"Don't scare the poor thing to death," Raven said back monotonously.

Changeling laughed.

* * *

_Chasing things…_

* * *

"Hey Garfield!"

Changeling looked up across the meadow, seeing the familiar friend from long before. He smiled, seeing her running to him this time.

"What are you waiting for Garfield? Everyone's still waiting for us to arrive." The girl said, sounding breathless.

Changeling made to move forward, but then he stopped. He stood in his spot. Almost pondering.

He looked down at his hands, seeing their normal look again. His bare feet were also normal beneath him. It was like deja vu to him. Seeing no green anywhere on him.

_'Why am I here again? I thought... I thought this wasn't what I wanted...'_ He thought. For once, he was unsure about what to do.

"Garfield?" Her voice sounded in front of him.

When he looked up, he saw the girl standing a few feet in front of him. Amidst all the light, he was finally able to see her features. She had raven black locks of hair reaching to her shoulders. A fair skin complexion. A mature, rounded face. And her pure hazel eyes staring at him with the deepest aspect of love he had only seen on one person before…

"Is everything alright Gar?" The normal looking Raven asked.

He studied her for only another moment. Almost as if he was contemplating what he was seeing. Then he extended his normal hand out to grip hers. "Yeah Rae, everything is alright now." He said, a smile coming back onto his normal face.

She took his hand and the two ran off into the midst of the grass. The two happy as could be.

* * *

_... That I could give up!_

* * *

Changeling opened his eyes. Seeing the bright rays of dawn starting to light up the room through the windows. He sat up slowly, feeling… calm.

_'Weird… even though I had the dream…'_ He thought.

He turned his head to look at his wife. Who was still fast asleep under the thick comforter of the bed. He smiled at the white strip running along the bridge of her nose.

_'No wonder why I slept through the whole night this time. Rae finally took my advice to fix her snoring problem.'_ He thought amusedly.

The dream then came back to his mind. His amusement disappeared as he thought about it. He studied Raven as he did so, thinking…

_'What is it I want… to be normal… or for me and Rae to be normal…'_ He thought.

…

"Are you coming, Garfield?" Her voice echoed from the memory of the dream.

He smiled to himself. _'You know… I don't care if I'm ever normal again. Or is she's ever normal.'_ He thought tiredly, as he cuddled up next to Raven.

_'I would never trade for anything in the world to replace having her next to me.'_ He thought before he fell asleep again, embracing her to him.

He was never bothered by that dream again.


	7. Chapter Seven

_I'll show them, I'm willing to fight!_

* * *

"Now Mark John Logan, do you take..."

Changeling watched what was going on from the back row of the white pavilion everyone was under. Looking at his son with tears of joy in his eyes.

"I do." He heard his son say after a moment.

The bishop nodded his head. Then turned to the girl. Changeling still remembered the day when Mark had brought Hailey, a normal civilian, into the Tower to meet him and Raven. She hadn't even recoiled at how different they were but had talked with them excitedly about how great Mark was, how he was such a funny jokester, and so on and so forth. She had been an instant hit with the family, her kind and loving heart open to almost everyone she seemed to meet. And none more so than her fiance in front of her.

He smiled a little wider, as he leaned his head on Raven's. Even though he wasn't looking, he could tell that she was also holding back tears of joy. As well as Lydia and her 'friend' fiance next to them. He had totally called it, though Raven rolled her eyes at him every time he told her that.

"Hailey, Elizabeth, Bernheart, do you..." The bishop started to say, almost stumbling over his words as he said the words that would marry away his precious daughter.

Changeling gripped Raven's hand tightly, tears finally falling down his face. "I do." He whispered to her.

Raven was also letting a few tears fall, though he couldn't see it. "I do." She whispered back. Both caught up within a moment within a moment that made sense to them.

Lydia looked at them oddly. "I do what?" She asked quietly.

The two smiled, not taking their eyes off what was in front of them as Hailey said the same words that they had said so long ago… "I do." She said, sliding the ring onto Mark's finger, as he did for her at that moment.

"Then I now pronounce the two of you..." The bishop said, happy tears coming down his face. "Husband, and wife."

* * *

And give them, the best of my life!

* * *

"Grandpa! Again!"

Changeling laughed to himself before he suddenly turned into a big green gorilla. Beating his chest with his hands. "Roarrrr!"

"Augh!" The grandkids screeched in joy as they ran away from the big gorilla. Trying to outrun it.

The big gorilla loped easily from kid to kid, picking them up and putting them on his back as he raced around the yard. The five kids were soon gripping the hairs of his back and neck, laughing as he then climbed a tree and moved to swing from tree to tree in his front yard. Laughing along with the kids. They were all having so much fun…

"Garfield!" He heard a voice snap from the porch.

The gorilla stopped swinging and stood on the branch, morphing back into a wide grinning and heavy breathing Changeling. The five kids still hanging onto his back looked down at Raven as well.

"Yeah, Rae!" He called.

"You know you're getting too old to exert yourself like that now!" Raven said irritably as she approached under the trees in their front yard.

"Come on Rae, I'm just trying to have a little fun with our grandkids!" He said in a voice reminiscent of his childish whining from years before.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Stupid green elf. Get down from there before you hurt yourself." She said.

Changeling was laughing. "What do you mean hurt-" He was saying.

**Snap!**

Then the branch he had been standing on snapped beneath him, sending him and the kids on him to a freefall. "Holy-" Changeling yelled in surprise as he dropped.

**Poof!**

Changeling landed flat on the ground, groaning from the impact. The five grandkids hovered down on miniature black disks before they landed softly on the ground. They ran off, screeching and playing with each other like nothing had gone wrong.

Changeling groaned, already able to tell that he had bruised a rib or two from the fall. He rolled over, and Raven appeared in his eyesight overhead, fighting the smirk that wanted to come to her face.

"I told you so." She said with a hint of mischief in her voice.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, whatever Rae." He grumbled to himself.

Raven chuckled as she helped her dork of a husband up to his feet. Before getting under his left shoulder and helping him to the house.

"Maybe next time you'll be more careful." She said with amusement in her voice.

"You're going to hold this over my head next time the grandkids come over. Aren't you?" He asked.

It was a moment before Raven replied.

"Maybe."

* * *

_So we can, call this our home!_

* * *

**Beep… Beep… Beep…**

Changeling gripped his wife's hand in his, looking down at her calm face. Even though she was suffering from so much pain, she still managed to look calm as she gazed weakly up at him. Gently rubbing the ring on his hand.

"Gar..." She weakly whispered.

"Yeah, Rae." He said quietly.

"Are… Mark and Lydia… here?" She said slowly. Her voice sounded hoarse.

Mark and Lydia came to his side then, sitting next to him. "Yes, mom. We're all here." The two said. Their spouses and kids were around them. Some of their kids were already in their late teens.

Raven coughed lightly, then looked up at the three of them. Happiness shined in her eyes despite the pain she felt from the disease that was killing her on the inside. One that even her demonic nature couldn't heal from.

"You two… will always be… among my greatest gifts..." Raven said, her voice cracking.

Changeling closed his eyes tight. He hated to see her in so much pain. And he hated that there was nothing he could do about it.

Noticing this, Raven focused on him again. "And you..."

She raised a hand up, letting it rest gently on his cheek. He opened his eyes at her touch. "Thank you… for staying with me… till the end." She said, a softness in her voice that she never expressed much in life.

Another tear gathered in his eye, and his other hand held her pale hand to his cheek. "I'd stay longer than that if I could Rae." He said, his voice almost cracking from sadness. "But then who would be able to teach the grandkids the dumb jokes to annoy their parents with for the rest of their lives." He said, trying to make Raven chuckle one last time.

She weakly rolled her eyes but gave him the chuckle he wanted. He smiled. She looked him in the eyes again, they seemed to almost look past him. "Thank you… for everything… Gar..." She whispered.

After a few seconds, he felt her hand lower from his face, and then she softly closed her amethyst eyes for the last time. Her face relaxing as the pain started to fade. Her other hand relaxing her grip to his.

**… Beep… … Beep…**

After a few seconds, her last breath escaped her pale lips.

**Beeeeeeeee…**

The monitor next to her bed flatlined. Changeling didn't seem to hear it though, he only seemed to be looking down at her beautiful face. A lifetime of holding back finally over.

He bent over, laying a soft kiss near the chakra stone on her forehead. "My angel has returned home." He whispered, the tear finally coming out of his eye. He rested her hand back at her side, letting go of it for good.

After a few seconds, he heard movement around him. He looked and saw his family behind him, tears running down their faces. Even calm Lydia wasn't exempt from the passing of her mother.

Changeling raised his arms, opening them wide for them. The kids, the grandkids, every part of the family gathered together. Joining in on the hug with him. He wrapped his long arms around them, letting the tears fall from his face. Not at only the passing of his beloved wife of forty years, but also at the comfort he received from the family she and he and she had raised together.

It was a gift far greater than anything he had ever received.

"Thank you, Raven, for everything." He whispered.

* * *

_Lead me! Cuz I can't do this alone!…_

* * *

"Ohhh..."

The green old man groaned, stopping to rest for a little bit on his cane. His son who had been walking in front of him stopped and turned to look back.

"Don't tell me you're feeling old at last dad," Mark said, a smirk on his face.

"I'll feel old when I'm six feet under with your mom." Garfield snapped back, as he looked around for a place to sit.

Mark laughed and pointed to the park bench a few yards away from them. "Think you can make it, or do you want any help?" He asked.

Garfield waved him off. "I can make it just fine myself." He said grumpily, moving to the bench to sit. His old bones creaked and groaned as he slowly bent down. Then let out a sigh of relief as he sat back, the weight of his body lifted from off his sore ankles.

Mark sat next to him, a wide grin on his face. "So I'm guessing 85 isn't treating you very well? Is it?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

"It's treating me far better than the 64 you're at." Garfield grumped back.

"Actually, it's 61." Mark corrected.

"Tomato, potato." Garfield replied.

The two laughed to themselves, letting the moment of immaturity bond father and son together…

"Did you know you're the last surviving Titan now dad?" Mark suddenly asked.

Garfield nodded, his demeanor became less grumpy. And more… lonely. "Poor Rust Bucket… I guess technology can only keep you going for so long..." Changeling said sadly.

Mark nodded, looking out over the fields in front of them again. His forest green, yet graying hair seemed to capture the rays of the sun. "You know, it's weird. I can still remember them all like it was yesterday… and now I'm stuck with just you now." Mark joked at the end.

Garfield chuckled. "And I'm sure that you're suffering immensely from it." He joked back.

"Not as much as you and mom did raising us." Mark quipped back.

"Don't even begin with that. I can't tell you just how many baby powder bags your twin sister exploded on me when I tried to change her diaper." Changeling said, almost laughing.

"Or how I'd chase you as a baby crocodile through the hallways of the Tower when I was a toddler," Mark said, laughing.

"You know I'm pretty sure our parents never had to deal with our weird powers while they were raising us," Garfield said laughing this time.

The two continued to talk between each other, Garfield enjoying the moment to reminiscence on his past with his son. It was almost to him like old times. With him exchanging stories with Cyborg while bugging Raven with one prank or another. All while snooping in on Robin and Starfire's growing relationship between each other. That was the feeling he was getting as he continued to talk to his son then. A feeling he wanted to last a good long time if he could.

_'You know, even though I feel old and tired, I'm glad I got to come out here with Mark… beats staying in that darn old house all day…'_ Garfield was thinking to himself.

"Dad." His son suddenly said. A weird look on his face.

Garfield focused back on his son. He still wanted to joke, but then he felt he shouldn't. "Yes." He said, waiting.

"I've been wondering for a while..." Mark paused as if forming the words. "… if you could have changed the way life turned out for you… would you have wanted to be normal… and for us to be normal?" Mark asked, pointing out his pale green skin, pointed ears, and worn down fangs from years of fighting.

Garfield looked at his son, staying silent as he pondered on it. "You know..." Garfield said, before looking back at the trees. Seeing the birds fly out from them to take flight into the air. He distinctly spotted a raven among them, flying close to a hummingbird. Two lone birds not often seen together…

He smiled. "To be honest son, I wouldn't trade what I got for anything in the world..." He said seriously.

He then thought about it. "...Or outside of it." He finished.

Both laughed at that true statement.

Things were just fine.

* * *

Father lead, me!

* * *

**… Beep… … Beep…**

Garfield lay in the bed, gently staring up at the ceiling of the room. His old eyes couldn't focus on any of the faces around him. There was many more now, some of which he couldn't even put names too. He could have sworn he heard a baby crying in the background. A great-great grandkid maybe.

_'Wow… to think me and Rae only started out with two.'_ He thought. His eyes finally making out Lydia and Mark next to him. Both of them looking older to him than he remembered. The two of them were holding his hands, not saying anything. Nothing didn't need to be said. He had made sure to say it to them long beforehand when he knew that he was finally dying.

About time at the good old age of 95.

He looked over them all one last time. Taking them into some immortal memory vault he was sure his mind possessed. He smiled briefly for them, even as he started to close his eyes.

_'I love them all so much…'_ He thought…

…

**Beeeeeeeeeeee…**

The monitor next to him flatlined, as Garfield Mark Logan released his last breath. He passed away peacefully in his home. Surrounded by his family.

…

…

…

Garfield slowly opened his eyes, looking around himself at his surroundings. He saw he wasn't in his home anymore, instead, he was in the middle of a meadow. Filled with all lengths of grass. And, curiously, many flowers of various kinds. Up above him was a wide blue sky, with not even a cloud in sight. There was no sun, yet light seemed to be shining from all around him. Not enough to blind him, but enough that he could see every little detail in the things of beauty all around him. It seemed so familiar, but he couldn't seem to remember why.

"Why is this so familiar?" He said to himself. Trying to picture where it was he had seen all this before…

"Garfield!" He heard a voice shout in the distance.

He looked to his right and saw a person running to him through the flowers. The person seemed familiar… He suddenly felt to look down at his hand and saw a normal white hand instead of green. He then shakily looked down at his feet, seeing the same white color. Then in front of his feet, there was a small clear puddle.

_'No way…'_ He was thinking, as he saw for the first time in years blonde hair, blue eyes, and a mouth without fangs. He was young again too, looking to barely be in his mid 20's. He also saw below that a pure white version of the uniform he had loved to wear for years.

_'I'm… I'm…'_ He was trying to think.

"Garfield?" The voice said up close, confused.

He looked back up. The girl was now standing a few feet in front of him. Dressed now in a robe and cloak of pure white looking similar to what she had worn in real life. He gasped.

She looked just as he had seen her many years before. From the long raven black hair, the rounded face, hazel colored eyes, and fair skin complexion. It was her eyes though that got him. They were filled to the brim with love and care. Eyes that despite everything else, looked exactly the same to him as they did before in real life. The vision of the girl he had seen in that dream…

He finally realized he was looking at what Raven would have looked like in real life. And he looked like what he would have been in real life too. If the two of them had had normal lives.

_'That was why I had that dream…'_ He thought.

"Gar, are you okay?" Raven asked him softly, sounding unsure because she was afraid of him not wanting her to be there now that she didn't look the same.

After a moment, he smiled. He stepped up close to Raven. His Raven. He looked her in the eye with the same amount of love for her shining in his own eyes that had been there when he was alive. "Yes, Rae." He said, gripping her hands in his. "Everything is okay now." He said, smiling softly.

Raven, upon seeing the love in his eyes, smiled then. Allowing him to see something that she couldn't show to him in real life. Pure unfiltered happiness. "Come on, the others are waiting for us." She said, looking back the way she had come.

Changeling looked past her then, seeing a group of people standing afar off. Waving at the two of them. He looked back to her, feeling this would be a place where he would not be found frowning again. He rested his forehead to hers, not feeling any chakra between them this time. Just a plain, simple forehead.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too." She whispered back.

The couple turned, smiling happily as they kept their hands linked, and ran together towards their eternal friends and family.

_'Thank you… so much… father.'_ He thought. The light around them brightened, and the two disappeared into their home.

Their little paradise.

* * *

_Cause I can't do this alone!…_

* * *

**The End**

* * *

**Hope you all enjoyed it. :) Now, you can review your thoughts. Keep on being awesome, and I'll look forward to writing more in the future!**

**Till Next Time**

**Allen**


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